AllamakeeIOWA County www.AllamakeeCounty.com Come Explore With Us! 1 Allamakee Economic Development Member’s are marked with this symbol M throughout the publication. WELCOME! ou will find an entirely different experience in Allamakee County, the Northeast corner of Iowa! Deeply carved river valleys, upward reaching bluffs and outdoor activities for all seasons, are Yjust a few things that make our county one of a kind! We have spectacular views of bluffs, the longest trout stream in the state, and the only National Monument in Iowa. Allamakee is the place for adventure, family friendly experiences & unrivaled natural beauty. Besides our natural surroundings, Allamakee County offers quaint downtowns, one of a kind shops and history that may surprise you. Did you know that Jefferson Davis spent time in Allamakee County? Davis was sent to Allamakee County to open the first saw mill west of the Mississippi River because he was courting President Zachary Tyler’s daughter. Despite Tyler’s effort, they did end up getting married on June 17, 1835. We hope you find this brochure a useful and educational resource that will entice you to visit Allamakee County. We, Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED), are proud to promote our wonderful county and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We are able to provide this brochure and other resources because of our business members. Without their support we would not be able to achieve the goals we have reached, provide the services we offer and create the marketing materials to help promote our county. ACED members are denoted in this brochure by the “ M ” symbol and bold. Please thank the ACED members when you have the opportunity to do business with them. We are unique and can provide you a vacation, weekend getaway, hunting exploration or family adventure that you will never forget. 2 WHAT’S INSIDE Historical Attractions ...........................................4 Recreation and Outdoor Adventures ............ 10 Shopping ............................................................ 18 Experiences ...................................................... 22 Byway ................................................................ 24 Map .....................................................................27 Meeting Rooms & Reception Halls ............... 28 Dining ................................................................. 29 Lodging .............................................................. 32 Community Services ....................................... 36 Come Explore With Us!3 HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS M HISTORICAL SOCIETY, OLD COURT HOUSE MUSEUM & GENEALOGY RESEARCH 121 Allamakee St., Waukon (563) 568-2954 • www.allamakeehistory.org Within the 1861 structure, one will discover rooms furnished to reflect the 19th and early 20th century, displays of farm tools, military items, medical room, and the court room-complete with the judge’s bench, chair and gavel. The courthouse was the center of a great controversy between the cities of Waukon and Lansing. Both cities claimed to be the County seat; each raised funds and built courthouses with Lansing completing theirs first. In June of 1866, after ten county seat contests, a posse of 30 men on horseback seized all the county records and took them to this Waukon courthouse. The The 2,526-acre park is divided into two Iowa Supreme Court later intervened in the units (North and South) by the Yellow River. dispute, making Waukon the official county Although most seat. Locals today Indian mound will still speak of groups involve the brazen action! hiking along relatively long and steep trails, three burial mounds are accessible directly behind the Visitor Center. Hiking trails offer modest to extended routes, allowing you to select your route and view a variety of mounds. An accessible boardwalk trail into the wetlands near the Visitor Center is available for disabled visitors and persons of all walking abilities. Open year-round. BLACk Hawk BRIDgE IA-9/WI-82 Mississippi River Crossing, Lansing Completed in 1931 at the cost of nearly $750,000. The Black Hawk Bridge crosses M the Mississippi River with a design that has EFFIGY MOUNDS NATIONAL attracted not only local, but national attention MONUMENT for its beauty. The cantilever structure spans 151 Hwy. 76, Harpers Ferry the Mississippi, joining the states of Iowa and (563) 873-3491 • www.nps.gov/efmo/index.htm Wisconsin. The bridge was named in honor No visit to Allamakee County would be of the great Sauk leader, Chief Black Hawk complete without stopping at Iowa’s only and is popularly referred to as the “Lansing national Monument, Effigy Mounds National Bridge”. The bridge roadway is 21 feet wide Monument. There are 206 known prehistoric with a minimum vertical clearance of 18.5 Native American Indian mounds within the feet and has a total length, including the main borders of the park, 31 of which are shaped channel crossing and approach spans, of in the likeness (effigy) of bears or birds. 1,623 feet. See individual listings for details of museums, attractions & operation times or appointments. 4 M = Allamakee Economic Dev. Member HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS FISH FARM MOuNDS River as the dividing line, giving Iowa a good State Preserve portion of what is now southern Minnesota. Hwy 26, 3 miles S. of New Albin Minnesotans wanted to use the 42nd parallel as the border, giving them the city of Dubuque A 3-acre prehistoric cemetery (mound group) & Northern Iowa. In 1849, Captain Thomas located in the southern portion of the 576-acre J. Lee settled the matter by establishing the Fish Farm Mounds Wildlife Area. The Preserve border at 43 degrees and 30 minutes north contains a cluster of 30 conical mounds of latitude. To solidify his mark, Lee purchased a various sizes, which were built by Native cast-iron monument on October 19, 1849 and Americans from 100 B.C. to 650 A.D. The had it installed on the border. This 600-pound Wildlife Area is mostly wooded and is abundant cast-iron post marks “Minnesota” on the north, with wildlife, making it a popular hunting area. “Iowa” on the south and “1849” & “43-30” Site includes picnic shelters and limited hiking (latitude) on the sides. This is the only original and walking trails. marker remaining on the northern boundary line of the State of Iowa. MuSEuM OF RIVER HISTORY AND COMMERCIAL FISHINg MuSEuM 60 S. Front St., Lansing, (563) 538-4641 or (563) 538-3943 Lansing’s unique history as a river town comes to life in this specialized museum, featuring a collection of memorabilia from the early development of the town. Authentic wooden boats and artifacts offer visitors a glimpse at the early clamming and clamshell button industries, as well as commercial fishing and ice harvesting. An extensive IRON POST photograph collection documents the growth Hwy 26, 1/4 mile N. of New Albin of this river town, which was an important ferry For many years, the border between Iowa point for immigrants crossing the Mississippi and Minnesota was hotly disputed. Iowans River in the early days of westward expansion. urged the government to use the Minnesota Open by appointment. 5 HISTORICAL ATTRACTIONS gJEFLE LOg CABIN legally purchase the building for town hall 121 Allamakee St., Waukon purposes alone. Thus, the building served two (with the Courthouse Museum) purposes, town hall and as a memorial for the community’s veterans, hence the name This two-story cabin was originally built by “Memorial Hall.” The property was added to Norwegian immigrants. It housed as many National Register of Historic Places in 2000. as 15 people at a single time between 1870 and 1886. Cabin was moved to its present site in 1990. SANDY POINT Cemetery (Historically known as Harpers Ferry Cemetery) Southern end of Sandy Point Rd, Harpers Ferry Surrounded by a modest, black iron fence and shaded by tall oak trees, two very different histories are juxtaposed at this point. Buried in this small cemetery is David Harper, an influential businessman known for his large merchandising business of produce. The town was named after Mr. Harper in 1860 and he is still regarded as a leading spirit in the development of Harpers Ferry and his gravestone still stands in dignified grandeur. But it is what surrounds Mr. Harper’s gravesite that makes this cemetery so unusual: seven ceremonial Native American mounds. As many as 2500 years before the settlement of WExFORD IMMACulate Harpers Ferry, this CONCEPTION CHuRCH land along the 1416 Co. Hwy. X52, Harpers Ferry great river was occupied by Native This Immaculate Conception Church located Americans. From in an area called Wexford is reportedly the the Woodland oldest Catholic Church between Dubuque, Period, the people Iowa and St. Paul, Minnesota. Located nine are known for miles south of Lansing just off the great River their subsistence Road, this little stone church is perfectly horticulture, ceramics production, diversified perched above a charismatic Allamakee hunting/gathering and their extensive trade County valley. A creek runs along nearby, the networks. Midwest archaeological evidence sun cascades over the woodland, the road has revealed materials and artifacts from hugs the landscape and it isn’t hard to see as far west as the area now known as why Irish settlers chose this special site to Yellowstone National Park. These people start their community. The church’s simple, also built earthen structures called “mounds.” elegant interior is full of calm, especially when Archaeologists speculate that the mounds the late afternoon beams of sunlight stream found at Sandy Point Cemetery, like many through the intricate stained glass. Make other area mounds, were constructed not sure to notice the framed port record on only as refuges for the dead, but as territorial the back wall which lists all the Ticonderoga boundaries between groups. ship passengers who sailed from Liverpool, England to New Orleans in the winter of 1850. TuRNER MEMORIAL HALL It is many of these listed individuals who 119 E. Greene St., Postville deemed this valley their final destination. They Built in 1913, the building shows the constructed a small log church in 1851 under predominance of the german-American the direction of their pastor Father Thomas culture.